Maa, Don't Cry
by Sashi Mizumoto
Summary: Sakura watches as Naruto and Sasuke leave for a mission without her, and she suddenly feels useless. The only one left to talk to is Kakashi. KakaSaku ONESHOT


**Maa, Don't Cry**

By Sashi Mizumoto and Yonde-chan

A/N: Well, My friend Yonde-chan and I wrote this at 3 in the morning through IM conversations. It was definitely a lot of fun. XD This is a ONE-SHOT.

Disclaimer: Yonde-chan and I do not own Naruto.

Sakura looked over the edge of the tree branch and watched as the sun set, casting glimmering rays of light over the lake. She pushed a few stray pink locks out of her face, her bright green eyes scanning the nearby area. She had been thinking of Sasuke, and somehow, she knew that she would never be with him. He was too obsessed with power, and with the dark craving to kill Itachi. Now, the only boy that had ever truly loved her for her, Naruto, was leaving. He had been called away on an A -rank mission and she had not been asked to go. She knew that it was because she was not strong enough, physically or mentally. The only thing she COULD do properly was control chakra and whine about her large forehead.

Sakura leapt from the tree branch she had been perched on, soundlessly alighting on the ground. Hands folded behind her, she stared at her melancholy reflection in the lake water. She tried a smile. It looked plastic, so she let it drop. Sighing, she folded her hands around her knees and watching the sun die. Suddenly, Kakashi was beside her. She couldn't have said she didn't expect it, because she did, somehow. She hadn't even flinched when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

She brought her eyes up to meet with his amused ones. She summoned a smile that felt a bit more real, this time. "Konban wa, Kakashi-sensei."

He gave her a studying look, replying nonchalantly. Finally, he sat with her, leaning back to watch the stars paint the sky.

"Maa, Sakura, pretty girls shouldn't look so sad." She knew he was grinning under his mask. She more felt his amusement these days.

She looked down at the ground, watching the fireflies glide across the soft grass. She heard Kakashi shift, and turned her head towards him curiously. She let out a sigh as he took out his trademark book. She shook her head, letting a small smile slip out. What else was to be expected from him? She turned back to look at the pale moon, which was emitting a light shine which seemed to cover everything in sight. Kakashi's eyes wandered from his book back to her small form, which was shaking lightly from the cold breeze that was sweeping over the treetops. He closed his book, putting it away in his pocket. Slowly, he removed his jacket and placed it gently over Sakura's shoulders. She turned and smiled, and began to speak.

"Kakashi-sensei, am I useless?" Kakashi studied Sakura with his eyes, wondering where this was going. Was this about Sasuke, or Naruto? Nowadays, he wasn't sure with this girl. "Sakura, no one's good at everything. So in a way, we're all useless, aren't we?" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, and she was even MORE shocked when she felt tears roll down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away before Kakashi could see, but his eyes were better than she gave him credit for. He reached out his hand and wiped the tears away, gently rubbing small circles on her cheek with his thumb.

He smiled at her encouragingly. "Pretty girls shouldn't cry, either." And with that, he enveloped her in a warm hug. She froze for a moment, but melted at how right it felt. Why hadn't she noticed this before? To her dismay, this only made her cry harder. She sobbed into his chest, for years of torment and emotional anguish. She was letting everything out now, and Kakashi's response was to hold her tighter. He was her line to reality, had been for all of those years-she had just never realized it.

Kakashi looked down at the top of Sakura's head, letting the soft smell of strawberries envelop his nose. He looked up at the moon and knew that this could never last. A warm, comforting hug that was saving their souls and hearts would have to end. She was his student, and he was her teacher. A taboo relationship that was never to be touched. He seemed to forget all of this though as Sakura gripped the back of his coat. He hugged her even more tightly, a great feeling of depression wedging itself in his throat. He closed his eyes, cringing slightly at himself, and released her, turning his back towards her. "I hope that helped. What's the problem? Did Sasuke say something to you?" Sakura wasn't exactly sure as to what to say to him. "Well, no, not really. I just feel so helpless compared to those two. They're always getting stronger everyday, and I can't do anything right." 

Kakashi smiled and his eye seemed to twinkle. He lifted his headband to reveal his sharingan eye. "Sakura, do you think I'd be a good ninja without this eye?" This question confused her somewhat, but luckily for her, he continued to talk. "Maa, this eye has helped me many times in the past. However, before I had this, I felt quite useless, just as you do now. However, once I had the eye, I realized I didn't need it to be a good person. You are not useless Sakura, you are a good person." He kissed the top of her brow gently, and a light blush covered Sakura's face.

"To me," he started, placed his face by her ear, "You're perfect just the way you are." Sakura's heart beat double-time. She felt flustered, maybe, but not really embarrassed. She felt safe, there, wrapped in his arms. The safest she'd ever been. Truthfully, not many offered her solace like this. Her parents...they only made demands. She had tried, tried so hard to be what they wanted-the embodiment of perfection.

They wanted nothing to do with her life, what she did outside of their demands was irrelevant. All she wanted in return was love.

But they never gave it.

She found that this feeling-this feeling of warmth-couldn't be comparable to what she had felt for Sasuke. There was no warmth there, no hope that seeped into her heart, no feeling of belonging.

But here, she felt that she never wanted to leave Kakashi. She didn't want to face that mad, demanding world without him. Her tears had stopped falling long ago, she hadn't noticed. She pulled back slightly, resting her face just below his chin. She was surprised at how easily she fit there-it was uncanny.

She smiled, her first real smile, for the first time in months. Or years, maybe-it didn't matter now. All of that was far away, Sasuke and Naruto were just names-just names you read and passed on, not people with feelings attached to them. She found that, with Kakashi, none of them mattered. And, for once, at least, she was perfect to someone.

**THE END**


End file.
